VAR and Officiating Changes: PL 2024-25

[KingsX]

VAR: The Premier League and PGMOL are unveiling a plan to reduce delays, add in-stadium announcements, raise the threshold for intervention, create more transparency, and provide more stringent VAR training.

 

Supporters inside stadiums will now be shown all ‘goals’ that get disallowed on the venue’s big screen(s), as well as a definitive clip if there has been a delay because a goal has been checked for a possible foul or offside. There is also a new PL Match Centre social media account that will communicate the facts regarding VAR decisions. PGMOL have recruited 12 new specialist VARs.

 

VARs at Stockley Park have been told not to get involved in subjective calls, instead only intervening when there is a ‘clear and obvious error’. A new term will also be heard: “referee’s call”. It will be used to make it clear the on-pitch decision is critical in the process, and that this should stand unless there is, yes, a clear and obvious error.

 

If a referee gets sent to the pitch-side monitor, the replays they are shown on it will be played at normal speed. Only when a point of contact is being established will the frames be slowed down.

 

Automated offside: Semi-automated offside technology is coming, although the technology is still being tested. The PL expects it “from after one of the autumn international breaks”, so it could be as far away as November. This will be a purely optical system and will not use the in-ball chip like FIFA.

 

Handball: The PL has advised players that not every touch of a hand or arm on the ball is an offence and that they are not expected to move with their arms into an unnatural position behind their backs to try to avoid such contact. It will not be handball if the player is deemed to be in a justifiable position or making a justifiable action; if there is a clear change of trajectory when the ball is touched by, or deflects off, the same player; or if the ball hits the supporting arm when a player falls to the ground.

 

IMO, a mixed bag.  The VAR changes are constructive, though probably too late to save the patient.  Unfortunately, there appears to be no further guidance on “interfering with play” offside calls.  And handball decisions will become even more subjective, and probably remain a shitshow.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5702607/2024/08/16/premier-league-changes-2024-25-var-handball-offsides/

 

 

[davieG]

14 hours ago, KingsX said:

There is also a new PL Match Centre social media account that will communicate the facts regarding VAR decisions.

Can you even get that in most stadiums I can't even get the latest scores.

[Silva Fox]

Sounds like the new approach to handball will leave things even more open to subjectivity and inconsistency amongst officials! 

[KingsX]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

Can you even get that in most stadiums I can't even get the latest scores.

 

It's supposed to include audio clips, right?  So you'll need a little bandwidth, not a ton. 

     (like those of us in first world countries take for granted.  I was just at an MLB game texting pictures back and forth with a buddy who's in France)

 

It was announced as "near live".  I'm skeptical whether that will mean in real time ... or carefully edited a few minutes after the fact.

[davieG]

14 minutes ago, KingsX said:

 

It's supposed to include audio clips, right?  So you'll need a little bandwidth, not a ton. 

     (like those of us in first world countries take for granted.  I was just at an MLB game texting pictures back and forth with a buddy who's in France)

 

It was announced as "near live".  I'm skeptical whether that will mean in real time ... or carefully edited a few minutes after the fact.

Mine doesn’t even load pages properly to see the scores so I can’t see it loading this site. 

[Foxes_Trust]

Foxes Trust representative, Steve Moulds, attended the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) pre-season briefing and can update supporters on the changes we can expect to see on the field this season.

 

CLEAR | DELIBERATE | IMPACTFUL? – Foxes Trust

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fifa-set-hand-premier-league-9715260

 

FIFA set to hand Premier League managers VAR lifeline with new rule change
The Premier League has been beset by VAR controversies since its introduction in 2019, but FIFA is now considering a new system that would give managers more control - and Leicester City are set to benefit

ByKeith WalesCVS Editor - Midland SportJacob Leeks
13:03, 14 NOV 2024
Samuel Barrott consults the VAR monitor
VAR has courted controversy since its introduction to the Premier League (Image: Getty Images)

Premier League managers may soon have the opportunity to contest refereeing decisions as FIFA contemplates overhauling VAR. The English top-flight introduced VAR ahead of the 2019/2020 season, but it has been plagued with issues ever since.

Managers, players, pundits and fans alike have grown frustrated with the system. Howard Webb, the PGMOL's chief refereeing officer, has tried to dispel misunderstandings about VAR, but has also had to frequently apologise for his officials' decisions.

Leicester City have become embroiled in refereeing rows around the use of VAR, the most recent coming in their 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town where home manager Kieran McKenna was angered after a penalty call and a red card went against his side.

A late equaliser from Jordan Ayew ensured the Foxes claimed a point at Portman Road, but the hosts were livid after a collision between Abdul Fatawu and Conor Chaplin in the Leicester penalty box went unpunished by referee Tim Robinson.

The Foxes claimed their were on the wrong end of a VAR call in their 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace earlier in the season.

 

Currently, only referees can use the system, with VARs initiating reviews of incidents. However, this could be about to change, with FIFA considering allowing coaches to challenge decisions themselves.

ESPN reports that FIFA is seeking permission from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to continue trials of Football Video Support (FVS). This system would enable coaches to challenge decisions.

FVS has already been trialled at this year's U20 and U17 FIFA Women's World Cups, after being approved for testing by the IFAB in March. It is believed that FIFA now wants to extend the system to other competitions, reports the Mirror.

The system allows coaches to makeup to two challenges per match if they believe a mistake has been made. The referee then goes to the side of the pitch to view a replay of the incident.

In contrast to VAR, the new Football Video Assistant (FVS) system involves just a replay operator who sets up the footage, leaving the match referee to review their own calls without any prior indication of a clear and obvious mistake. This less resource-heavy approach is currently targeted at leagues with limited tech support, ideally those operating with a maximum of four cameras.

Pierluigi Collina, the chair of FIFA's referees' committee, has expressed support for the new system, emphasising its positive impact in its introductory phase.

"We are at the beginning of the trial and the experiences at both the U20 and U17 FIFA Women's World Cup will be carefully analysed but so far, we haven't noticed anything unexpected," Collina informed ESPN.

"As agreed, FIFA will present a report at the next IFAB ABM and request to continue the trial on a wider basis. Several FIFA member associations already showed the interest to participate to the trial. If IFAB will give the permission, next year there will be several competitions using FVS."

"Even though [the U20 and U17 FIFA Women's World Cup] was the first experience, both for the teams and the match officials, we feel that the outcome was very positive. We conducted a survey with the coaches after the tournament which showed that FVS was positively received and considered worthy to be used in the future."

[st albans fox]

This is just bollox

get the var doing their job properly and there’s no need for this challenge system 

 

Prefer to kick var out completely but that isn’t going to happen;

 

if these are just random challenges on anything then we’ll soon see coaches abusing things in added time to break up the game.  And it means we now have re refereeing which we were told var would never introduce 

 

it’s a slippery slope we’re now on 

Edited 14 November 2024 by st albans fox

[Super_horns]

Thing is teams will still be relying on the subjective nature of a decision and if it doesn’t go their way will still complain that the call was wrong ..